Harmonizing Voices: Ethics and Community-Based Approaches in Language Development Projects

Language development projects play a crucial role in empowering communities and fostering human flourishing. As these projects are designed, it is essential to consider the ethical dimensions of their implementation. Engaging with local perspectives and addressing community needs is vital for sustainability and ownership, yet it is equally important to recognize the complexities that arise when diverse stakeholders come together. Negotiating relationships among those who are rooted in different backgrounds, beliefs, and values, can create significant challenges that may hinder project objectives and even whether the project endures. Designing ethical language projects include finding local ways of conflict resolution and alignment.

In this paper, I argue that by doing so, we can create a more harmonious approach that not only respects the voices of the community but also enhances the overall effectiveness of language development initiatives. This paper describes a local conflict resolution process that is defined, conceptualized and demonstrated through wanbel ("unity, alignment of desires, and reconciliation leading to the good life" Tok Pisin). In wanbel gatherings, the Sam people of Papua New Guinea have a space to discuss and critique their relationships and raise grievances in communal settings for the express purpose of resolving them, to become wanbel.